CLC keen to 'give empowerment back to the people'

The Central Land Council (CLC) says it is willing to sit down and talk through the issues with traditional owners who are frustrated with the land council system.

However, chairman Maurie Ryan says he is suspicious of politicians' motives when they suggest federal law could be used to make councils give up powers to local people.

The Federal Opposition's Indigenous affairs spokesman, Nigel Scullion, says there is a little-known section in the law that allows for the devolution of certain powers.

Mr Ryan says the relevant law, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, was never written with the interests of Indigenous people in mind.

"United we stand, divided we fall," he said.

"Governments from 113 years [ago] have done what they've done to Aboriginal lands - that's including stealing of lands when Cook first landed here.

"This country's stolen. All we're trying to do here is trying to protect the rights of traditional owners in this region."

Mr Ryan says he is working to make the present system more responsive to people's needs.

"I'm trying to reverse the roles of the Central Land Council ... lawyers, anthropologists, particularly lawyers, seem to think they run the land council but it's the elected members ... and what I'm trying to do is change a different course for the Central Land Council to give empowerment back to the people," he said.